I Gave Up Being Stronger

‘Oh.’

Through this experience, one thing became abundantly clear. Jin-Hyeok much preferred livestreaming for the masses rather than the premium livestream for one viewer. While Jin-Hyeok wasn\'t actually communicating with the viewers in the traditional sense, Jin-Hyeok decided to label it as such because he was, in fact, talking to his audience.

‘Now I have ten thousand live viewers.’

Not even a minute had passed since starting the livestream, and the viewer count had already surged past ten thousand. Before two minutes were up, it soared past twenty thousand. Of course, that was what appeared on the surface.

[19,200/19,200]

However, in reality, the flood of viewers continued to surge. The exhilaration from watching the numbers climb was intoxicating. Jin-Hyeok wondered if this was why Streamers turned on their livestreams without doing anything, just passing the time with music and such. Jin-Hyeok had learned something new.

All of a sudden, something occurred to him. He remembered an interview with Egan Paul he saw a few days ago. Egan Paul had said something about being the first to adapt to the new civilization, boasting record-breaking viewership.

‘But I have more viewers than him.’

Originally, Jin-Hyeok had aimed for third place. It was a given that Egan Paul would take the top spot. However, now, the narrative seemed to be changing. Egan had mentioned Jin-Hyeok first. To be precise, the reporter had asked Egan Paul a question.

“How do you compare yourself to Korea’s Kim Chul-Soo?”

“I often hear that he’s trying to surpass me. However, we’re not comparable. We started on different playing fields.”

“What do you mean by different playing fields?”

“Kim Chul-Soo displays a range of versatile performances. However, a single human\'s time and abilities are limited. The gap already started to show in the viewer count. You will understand as time goes on.”

In his earlier days as a Streamer, Jin-Hyeok had time and time again conceded to the fact that Egan had an overwhelming number of viewers, but right now, Egan’s viewer count was around fifty thousand, roughly on par with Jin-Hyeok’s.

Jin-Hyeok had no idea why Egan acted so superior when their viewer counts were similar. This shouldn’t bother Jin-Hyeok, but it was starting to.

‘A Streamer proves himself through livestream. Let’s just focus on that.’

“Here I am, standing before the Golden Guardian Tree. I think it’s time to sprinkle some Bakurudnaima\'s Spirit Water that I happened to acquire.”

Jin-Hyeok pulled out the item he had gained as a reward for clearing the Hidden Quest earlier.

‘Egan Paul, I bet you have never planted a Golden Guardian Tree. You don’t even have any Bakurudnaima\'s Spirit Water, never fought against the Queen Ant, and don’t even possess any custom-crafted Mysteries.’

Jin-Hyeok wanted to spill all of this, but he restrained himself. Instead, he just changed the title of the livestream.

[World Premiere! What happens when 7,000-year-old Sacred Tree Spirit Water is sprinkled on Earth Sever’s only Golden Guardian Tree?]

The title felt excessively long, but today, Jin-Hyeok felt like going with it.

“As you can see, Bakurudnaima\'s Spirit Water contains the essence of a spirit of a Sacred Tree that was born from the Will to Protect. This is the Spirit Water of a spirit that has nurtured a single Will for seven thousand years and is said to greatly enhance the Guardian Tree. Let’s try using it.”

As he sprayed the Spirit Water, it touched the air and transformed into golden mist before being absorbed into the trunk of the Golden Guardian Tree. Almost immediately, a mist began to rise around the tree. The mist collided with the golden light emanating from the Guardian Tree, creating a soft, reflective glow. Even as time passed, the mist continued to circulate around the Guardian Tree, enhancing its already majestic appearance.

“It’s like I’ve turned on some lights. How splendid.”

Before he knew it, the name of the Golden Guardian Tree had changed.

[Spirited Young Golden Guardian Tree]

A descriptor had been added to the Golden Guardian Tree, accompanied by new changes.

“It seems the application Will to Protect has strengthened, allowing for a sort of Restricted Zone type of setting to be set by me. It’s fascinating.”

Now, Jin-Hyeok could control who entered and left the Guardian Tree’s domain at will. He was not entirely sure, but he believed anyone below Level 150 would find it hard to break through his control.

“Let’s run a test. There seems to be a party of Assassins targeting me.”

It was a given that top Players attracted the attention of Assassins.

“Ah, I forgot to show you guys this.”

He pulled out a red piece of paper from his pocket.

[We will hunt you down tonight. -Written by: Black Thorn Alliance]

This note was dropped to him while he was waiting for the viewers to gather on his livestream. These guys were clearly professional Assassins. They had given him a prior warning and even disclosed their Alliance. It was a textbook Play by Assassins.

“Let’s try driving these guys away for now.”

Jin-Hyeok stood in front of the Golden Guardian Tree. A regal aura cascaded from its branches, enveloping him.

“Over there. Over there. And over there. I see three of them. Their Player names are Thief Lynx, Black Hippo, and Lawless Hell. It seems the Restricted Zone setting can be adjusted according to their Level and my capabilities.”

Their Levels were in the 40s. They were not exactly exceptional Players.

‘This is something I have to visualize in my head.’

Jin-Hyeok needed to control this as well. He had to mentally formulate where to designate the Restricted Zone. If he were not someone who had meditated a lot, handling this power from the start would’ve been hard.

“Ah, the Assassins seems to be retreated, but…”

There were also side effects. Two of them ran toward the road, moving outside of Yeonhui-dong, but one fell from the window. It almost looked like he was committing suicide.

“Damn.”

The Assassin fell from a height of five stories. He didn’t die, but it seemed like he broke both of his legs. Despite the broken legs, he forcibly stood up and started walking somewhere, most likely making his way out of Yeonhui-dong.

“It seems like the Restricted Zone can control their body and make them leave the area that I’ve set, seeing that that guy is still moving even though both of his legs are broken.”

‘That must hurt a lot.’

From a distance, Jin-Hyeok heard someone shouting, “Kim Chul-Soo!”

The voice was laden with indignation.

“I don’t know why they’re so mad.”

It was not like he used a gun or anything. Jin-Hyeok wondered why his enemies were angry when Jin-Hyeok fought back fair and square with his Play.

“They’re probably furious because they failed to assassinate me.”

Additionally, within the Guardian Tree’s domain, the defensive-type Mysteries, Traits, and Skills were maximized.

Jin-Hyeok was itching to show this off to the viewers, but he held back.

‘Showing off everything at once takes away the fun, doesn’t it?’

A little pause before the livestream started.

A slightly more provocative title.

And pacing his content.

Jin-Hyeok felt proud of himself once again.

‘I’m still growing as a Streamer. Are you watching this, Egan Paul?’

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Jin-Hyeok had made the area around his home a Restricted Zone. Except for his family and those with permission, no one else could approach the area. Though he had used the Deceiver’s Mask, his identity was already well-known. Many reporters had already found out Jin-Hyeok’s address and set up camp around his place.

‘Huh?’

The reporters found themselves involuntarily moving away.

“What’s happening?!”

“My body’s moving on its own!!”

It wasn’t just the reporters, even the Streamers were not immune to the effects of the Restricted Zone. After chasing away the unwanted guests to a certain distance, Jin-Hyeok relaxed at home while waiting for nightfall.

‘Those guys had some grit, at least.’

Their Levels were relatively low, but they were true to the reputation of the Black Thorn Alliance. If it were the Black Thorn Alliance that Jin-Hyeok knew, they wouldn’t give up on Assassination that easily.

‘They said it’s tonight, right?’

The Black Thorn Alliance leader was named Magpie Viper.

If that guy were in on the assassination, he would surely make his move.

Checking his phone, Jin-Hyeok noticed several missed calls.

It was from Angel Girl Song Ha-Young.

“What’s up?”

—Why aren’t you picking up your phone?!

“I was busy. What’s going on?”

—There are people from the Black Thorn Alliance that are trying to kill you.

“Yes, I’m aware.”

—You know? How?

“They’ve been scouting me with an advance party. They even declared war with a note.”

—Damn it! Do you know who their leader is?

Jin-Hyeok knew the leader very well. It was Magpie Viper—Kwak Do-Hyeong. He was a Player who had quite a reputation in Jin-Hyeok\'s past life.

“Hm.. I don’t know. Who is it?”

—His Player name is Magpie Viper. He is an assassin-class Player specializing in deadly poisons and incantations. His Level is currently estimated to be in the late 50s. Those guys approached my party for information on you!

“What information did you give them?”

—Are you crazy? We didn’t give them anything.

Jin-Hyeok couldn’t help but click his tongue in disbelief.

“You provided nothing? Why? No, seriously, why? You guys are an alliance of Thieves and Informants. Why would you not provide information?”

—Are you being serious right now?

“You should have. No, do it now. Do you know that I am way stronger in the vicinity of Yeonhui-dong? If they want to kill me, they should drive me north past the Seodaemun-gu Office or south below Yeonhui Interchange, which is the small road that connects Yeonhui-dong to the highway. Make sure to collect a hefty fee for this information.”

—...Why on earth would you want me to share this information?

“Because it makes things more interesting. Also, it will spice up my Eltube content.”

At that, Ha-Young snapped back to reality. She felt like she had momentarily forgotten the fundamental rule that Plays needed to be enjoyable.

—Fine. I will relay the information. It’s accurate, right? You’re not lying?

“Of course. What do you take me for? Oh, one more thing. Approaching the area near my home is outright impossible, so they should avoid that. I just said that on my livestream. You didn’t happen to miss it, did you?”

—...

“Seriously, how can the leader of an alliance consisting of Thieves and Informants be so out of the loop?”

To be fair, Ha-Young had her reasons. She, too, had only one body and could not monitor everything by herself. There were Informants specifically assigned to collect information related to Cha Jin-Hyeok (Kim Chul-Soo), and they would send her reports. The report on his recent livestream had not yet been submitted.

Still, Ha-Young made no excuses.

—I’m sorry. I’ll do better.

“Good, you should.”

Jin-Hyeok ended the call and lay down on his bed. Today’s Play had been extremely fun, but he felt a significant amount of physical and mental fatigue accumulating.

“Assassins, huh.”

A wry smile crossed his lips.

“No, this is not supposed to be fun.”

Though no one was listening, he convinced himself with his monologue.

“Once I reach a higher Level and the real deal Assassins and Hunters start coming after me, it’s going to get really exhausting.”

For now, he was mentally planning to Play up to Level 150 and then retire.

“But you never really know, right? What if I end up enjoying my Play even at higher Levels?”

If that happened, truly dangerous Players that hunted other Players would start coming after Jin-Hyeok. No matter how good the Streamer Protection Treaty was, Traits like All-Rounder that Jin-Hyeok possessed were definitely enticing enough to make those Hunters salivate.

“If, by some chance, I am still enjoying Playing at that Level, it might be a good idea to hone my practical skills against the Assassins.”

No one knew the future. Training for practical purposes was always important, and maintaining a light level of tension was very beneficial for always having a good condition.

“So, I would appreciate it if more Assassins came my way.”

With that thought, he closed his eyes for a moment.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Evening had arrived. The anticipation of the night’s event helped Jin-Hyeok get a good night’s sleep. When he opened his eyes, night had fallen. Stretching lazily, he got out of the bed.

“Shall I get moving then?”

With his heart pounding in excitement, he started the livestream.

[Breaking News! Forewarned murder by the Black Thorn Alliance? Kim Chul-Soo on the run, danger incoming.]

As he began the livestream, he walked down an alleyway. Surprisingly, the streetlights were out, shrouding the area in darkness. It seemed like even the electricity had been tampered with beforehand.

‘Oh.’

He could already sense the presence of Assassins. There were roughly seven by his count. They had even prepared traps for him here and there.

‘Wow, they really did prepare a lot.’

There was no one else around, not a single soul. It appeared they had blocked non-Player’s access beforehand.

‘Good. This is the basics of Playing.’

As if to test Jin-Hyeok’s awareness, an arrow flew toward him from somewhere.

‘But…’

An intriguing idea popped into his head.

‘What if I just let it hit me?’

Jin-Hyeok’s abilities were significantly boosted in Yeonhui-dong. He wondered if he could withstand a mere warning shot without any aid from his Broadcaster’s Barrier. He believed his defensive stats should be more than enough for that.

‘The aim is slightly off.’

Jin-Hyeok moved slightly to the right.

Thud!

A minor impact was felt on his chest. The arrowhead fell to the ground, unable to pierce through him.

‘I should act startled. Grasping my chest would make it seem more painful, wouldn’t it? This is great for my livestream.’

Jin-Hyeok glanced around. As if that was the enemies’ cue, a barrage of arrows showered down on Jin-Hyeok. There were quite a lot. Jin-Hyeok now wondered what would happen if he were to get hit by all of the arrows.

‘Would my defense hold?’

Jin-Hyeok had to find out.

“This is rather painful.”

Even a massage from a strong man hurt, but being hit by arrows hurt way more than that. For the sake of performance, Jin-Hyeok pretended to use Broadcaster’s Barrier.

‘They’re not really trying to kill me with these attacks. They’re doing a good job.’

It seemed they had good information on how to assassinate Jin-Hyeok, probably thanks to Ha-Young. Their intention had to be to drag him out of Yeonhui-dong by various means.

‘They are leading me toward that magic circle.’

Jin-Hyeok saw the magic circle. It looked like it had a debuff that would drain his health.

‘I should also check my mana resistance while I’m at it.’

With the enemies’ meticulous preparation, it was an excellent chance for Jin-Hyeok to see the limits of his capabilities. He skillfully dodged some arrows and took some hits, adding a touch of acting based on his previous experience in showmanship.

‘Huh? What?’

His performance was perfect. Jin-Hyeok had come a long way.

…Or so he thought.

Jin-Hyeok should have checked the chat in Mystery Box’s Eltube channel. Not doing so was his mistake. He was blissfully unaware of what was being discussed there.